A Leadership Mishap

For part of the day I watched  proceedings at the AICC meet.To give a wholesome coverage CNN-IBN was seeking views of various delegates on anointment of Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the party.It was with utter dismay and disgust that I watched  the chorus at the meeting and the unanimity of the delegates, including the incumbent PM, in projecting him as the only leader(messiah) of this nation. One Mr Mukesh Sharma, a Congress strongman from Delhi went on to say that Rahul Gandhi is the best leader not only for India but for the world. Wonder what parameters/benchmarks, other than subservience, were adopted to come to such befuddling conclusion.

What sets Rahul Gandhi so apart,other than his surname, that the entire Congress elite clamours and genuflects at the very mention of his name.What I find extremely reprehensible is that for the last ten years the nation has been victimised with this charade but the protagonist, the man in question, is yet to give a single hint of his intellect,fortitude,commitment,intentions,analytical ability,expertise or professional knowledge. Leadership is strongest and most effective when it fosters an ideal; it is weakest and most defective when it falls short of that ideal.Wonder what ideal Rahul Gandhi stands for, to give him the distinction, that the party so willingly showers on him.

I have nothing much to comment on his speech as it was nothing but an inventory of old cliches that the nation has been exposed to for the last ten years.The only novelty was display of his ability to roar in his own den. Attitude of the Lord Master, was vividly exposed when he reiterated the oft repeated rhetoric of  graces and charities showered by the Congress "we gave you this, we gave you that" .

 He made a passing reference on the need to fight corruption but conveniently forgot to mention the senility,corruption,and ineptness of the UPA, led by Congress, that has set this country back by half a century not only in materialistic terms but in character,integrity and nationhood.

 Giving bills, passing laws and acts will not alleviate the miseries of millions of impoverished Indians if the will is missing at the level of the leadership.Rahul perhaps forgets that rot in the fish starts in the head. 2G, CWG, Coalgate, Adarsh are but a few examples of this malaise.If he truly means business he must get down to sort this plague rather than continue to indulge in rhetoric.

The AAP Conundrum

What started yesterday as an internal rumbling in the AAP,has today grabbed  headlines in the media and come center stage on the national discourse. Admittedly, this is a setback for which, the AAP was perhaps not prepared at such an early stage of their innings.But much that the Congress and the BJP would be delighted at the chaos, to the chagrin, it also highlights the immense significance the AAP has garnered in its short existence. 

That it has happened to the AAP should not surprise many.As Niccolo Machiavelli said
 " There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things".

The sterling success of the AAP at the hustings in Delhi based on issues of corruption and political morals hasn't gone down well with our elitist and self serving politicians. So they will not miss any opportunity to win back their turf by decrying and embarrassing the AAP no matter what it takes. 

So did Mr Binny project any concrete issue or evidence to prove that the AAP was faulting in its agenda or manifesto.To my reckoning there was nothing new or true in what he said.

                          " What was new was not true and what was true was not new". 

What came to fore was a highly tutored articulation loaded with cliches and diatribes so common in our political discourse. If  AAPs response that what Binny articulated were the issues raised by Mr Harshvardhan  in the Assembly is true then Binny aptly fits in the mould  described by the wise  Chankya  centuries back
 "Of a rascal(दुर्जन) and a serpent (सर्प), the serpent is the better of the two, for he strikes only at the time he is destined to kill, while the former at every step.

Whilst  these public utterances will make Mr Binny a favourite of the BJP and the Congress, for a while,it certainly is a wake up call for the AAP to reassess its endeavour to recruit maximum number of people without verification.The nation wide campaign to induct members and volunteers gives a God send opportunity to the opposition to plant moles to disturb AAP's apple cart at crucial moments turning them into a controversial party.Its time to start the churning (manthan) and cull out all pots filled with venom before they turn into Binnys.

Yesterday I witnessed my first ever meeting of a  political party. The Aam Aadmi Party  meeting of volunteers at Jain Trust Hall in Ashok Nagar, Bangalore.What an experience it was. There were no goons or thieves clad in spot less whites masquerading as political messiahs.Most volunteers were in the age group of 30 to 40 years, common people attired in their regular clothes.
 Much beyond my wildest expectations and deep apprehensions based on dealing with political bigs and smalls, the meeting commenced on the dot at 1800 hrs.Every one except the coordinators and the speakers sat on the floor in perfectly aligned rows allowing for their colleagues to be accommodated in whatever space was available. Yet the response was so overwhelming that despite the fact that there were about 500 people cramped in the hall around 200 were standing all around.
The single point agenda, the focus of the meeting was how to win the general elections.Mr Prithvi Reddy , member of the central executive committee  of the Party took pains to explain various challenges faced by the party and how to overcome them.Response from the volunteers was to say the least "frightening," not for me, but, for the archaic and self serving outfits like the Congress, BJP,SP,BSP,RJD,JD(U),DMK,AIADMK et all.
For me it was an exhilarating and blissful moment to get the sense that after 67 years of political chicanery based on Dynasty,Religion,Caste and Class the time was now coming to see some well meaning,conscientious,educated and determined individuals, based on their merit of public good, occupy the political space. If the enthusiasm and deep sense of commitment displayed by the volunteers is an indicator I am certain the AAP will garner more than 50% of the 28 parliamentary constituencies in Karnataka. Pray the same comes true in other States to rid us of the political plague that has occupied the center stage for so long.

These are my views on an editorial in Business Standard.

Mr Editor where were you when the lights and water went out of a common man's life? Regrettably this opinion contributes magnificently to the efforts of the stooges and cohorts of the Congress,who were in power in Delhi for 15 years and at the center for 10 years to promote their single point agenda,"the succession plan", to elevate a dead horse to the a position he least deserves.How do you forget the wonderful governing model of the Congress inherited from another young Prime Minister,"Hume Dekhna hai,hum dekhenge,hum dekhte rehenge"that gave rise to policy paralysis and rampant corruption, which has set the nation back by at least half a century and deprived the citizens of a decent living.

It is woeful that we continue to thrive in the imperial mind set of governing by laws emanating from lal batti and brute force.Peoples perceptions and aspirations have changed over the years,so must the method of governance.To chastise Arvind for not accepting security on the lines of Mulayam and Mayawati and decry his valiant effort to connect with the people akin to running a NGO is sheer effrontery.Delhi elected him,as he is one of them,"to govern and not to rule". Its time the political masters descend from their ill acquired high horses, connect with the people and listen to them to provide the governance they deserve.
Though a part failure in the first attempt, AAP has made a noble beginning.That such a laudable grassroots endeavour would be thumping success is a given. Please watch the next Durbar.
I would be delighted to share this space after six months for candid views on this earnest efforts of the AAP.

Saving India, AAP wins Opposition winces

What I wrote in the morning on Kejriwal's first Janta Durbar were the  views of an observer watching  proceedings from a distance. People came in their thousands, much beyond the expectations of the govt, to  express their solidarity and faith in the ability of the AAP to deliver. This was also an expression of the simmering discontent against the malaise spread by rampant corruption , maladministration and misrule of self aggrandizement  by Sheila Dixit led govt of Congress over the last 15 years.  

 It is a pity that an honest attempt by Kejriwal to address this virulent dilemma, faced daily by the common man, came a cropper for no fault of AAP.

Assurance given by the Chief Minister that issue of crowd control would be sorted out in the next meeting is a given. But churlish comments and dubious joy expressed by the opposition, especially the BJP, calling it a drama staged for cheap popularity, conveys political highhandedness and apathy for the common man. What is disgusting is the elitist and immature comment made by Kiran Bedi, that " you can't govern from footpaths or rooftops." How conveniently she  forgets that all grassroot movements in India, especially those by her mentor, Anna, started from the footpaths.How can she overlook the unprecedented connect that Kejriwal has with the common man? His empathy and care for the people led him to the roof top, a vantage point at that given moment, to calm the surging crowds , who dissipated moments after he addressed them from there. Isn't that abundant proof of the love and respect a common man has for him.

Wonder why the opposition fails to recognise that all diatribes, against this honest endeavour of AAP, are at their own peril.

Arvind Meets Headwind

As I write this, Delhi Chief Minister(CM), Arvind Kejriwal's first,Janta Darbar, public grievances meeting along with all his cabinet colleagues outside Delhi Secretariat has just got over. The CM had to leave the meeting half way as people poured in their thousands to air their grievances.That all arrangements made by the police and the well meaning AAP were overwhelmed  is no surprise.This is just one indicator of how the malaise spread by rampant corruption , maladministration and misrule of self aggrandizement  by Sheila Dixit led govt of Congress over last 15 years  has left the common man distraught, dissatisfied and unhappy.

While there were voices of discontent as people who were waiting since 0700 hrs in the morning  could neither meet the CM  nor his ministers, what was disconcerting was many leading questions asked by some media channels to spread negativity and convey a sense that such meetings are doomed to be a failure and help no one. But kudos to the public who despite the discomfort and negativity maintained their composure and admired this noble effort of AAP govt.

 Kejriwal, undoubtedly is a symbol of hope, a breath of fresh air for millions of impoverished Indians who have  been exploited to the hilt by self serving politicians. Peoples disgruntlement with past governments and hopes triggered by the AAP to alleviate their miseries will take a long time to come to fruition in a decadent and inept system inherited by AAP. Undoubtedly  a complete  overhaul is required in the wretched system but more important is that the public would have to be patient, albeit for a short while, to allow this noble endeavour to succeed. A good beginning has been made for providing good and inclusive governance to the common man .

This is my response to an article published online in the Business-Standard. The original article is here.

For sixty seven years the wily politicians have driven the nation like a mindless donkey,who can see nothing beyond the blinkers.That the AAP has emerged as a beacon of hope for over a billion impoverished and exploited Indians hasn't gone down well with those who have been led into daylight after a life time in a shadowy cage(of their own making) because they fancy that the shadows which they formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to them.Mr Vishwas is one among the many who refuse to emerge from the cave.

No one in a right frame of mind should miss the paradigm shift that is occurring in the governance of Delhi.What Mr Vishwas refers to as freebies and largess's actually reflect the attitude,the sincerity,the integrity and fortitude of  Arvind Kejriwal and his team who till yesterday were called gutter snipes.The same very Digvijays,Shankar Prasads,Salman Khurshids,Sambit Patras and Renuka Choudharys who till yesterday were scornfully mocking and challenging the AAP to contest elections are now now squirming under their skins for misjudging the power of Aam Admi.Cleansing of politics from the stranglehold of self serving politicians, who were there for a life long binge, has just begun and much to the chagrin of Mr Vishwas and his ilk, there is no stopping the AAP juggernaut.